In the Matter of William Jason Rowland

William Jason Rowland, a Georgia lawyer since 2013, pleaded guilty in the Superior Court of Johnson County on November 17, 2025, to one felony count of aggravated assault. Before the State Bar filed a formal complaint against him, Rowland asked the Supreme Court of Georgia for permission to voluntarily surrender his law license rather than go through disciplinary proceedings. The felony conviction violated a rule of professional conduct that bars lawyers from being convicted of felonies, and the maximum punishment for that violation is disbarment. The State Bar told the court it believed accepting the surrender was in the best interest of the public and the legal profession. The court agreed, accepted the surrender, and removed Rowland's name from the rolls of people allowed to practice law in Georgia.

An attorney who pleads guilty to a felony violates the rule against lawyers being convicted of felonies, and when that attorney seeks to voluntarily surrender his license rather than face disciplinary proceedings, the court may accept the surrender as equivalent to disbarment.

The decision removes a convicted felon from the practice of law in Georgia, protecting clients and the public from being represented by someone convicted of a violent felony, and it shows how the Supreme Court of Georgia handles attorneys who seek to avoid formal disciplinary hearings after criminal convictions.

Voluntary surrender of license accepted

1. The court noted that Rowland admitted pleading guilty to a felony count of aggravated assault, which by rule counts as a conviction under the Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct (Rule 8.4(a)(2), which forbids lawyers from being convicted of a felony).
2. Because the maximum penalty for that rule violation is disbarment, and Rowland acknowledged that surrendering his license is treated the same as disbarment, the court found voluntary surrender an appropriate resolution.
3. The State Bar told the court it believed accepting the surrender served the best interest of the public and the legal profession, supporting the court's decision to grant the petition.
4. Relying on a similar prior case where the court accepted voluntary surrender for the same type of rule violation, the court accepted Rowland's petition and removed his name from the rolls of attorneys permitted to practice law in Georgia.

• attorney discipline
• voluntary surrender of license
• felony guilty plea
• aggravated assault
• disbarment